BILL REIBOLDT: Roe v. Wade turns 40 this year

Monday

Sep 9, 2013 at 12:01 AMSep 9, 2013 at 11:48 PM

This year marks the 40th anniversary of legalized abortion in the United States.

It was January 22, 1973, when the Supreme Court handed down the Roe v. Wade decision that made abortion legal in our nation. Since that day there have been well over 55 million innocent unborn babies who have been legally murdered. To put this figure in prospective, everyday for the last 40 years there have been 3,300 abortions. This is one abortion every 30 seconds for 40 years.

With the legalization of abortion, organizations like Planned Parenthood have created giant empires, largely on taxpayer money. The Planned Parenthood Federation of America continues to be the largest provider of abortion services in the United States, performing one out of every four, or just over 25 percent. In the past three years they have performed almost one million abortions. A lucrative enterprise, the Planned Parenthood organization has net assets of over $1.2 billion, yet they receive 50 percent of their yearly revenue from tax-funded government sources.

They claim to provide health services for women, but only a very small portion of their funds go for that. In the last year, the organization made only 2,300 adoption referrals; that is one referral to every 145 abortions. Tragically, 98 percent of all pregnant women who enter Planned Parenthood clinics leave without a baby. The fact remains that Planned Parenthood clinics are the most dangerous place on Earth for an unborn child. It's deeply troubling that this organization claims direct responsibility for the killing of over 6 million unborn babies, yet they still receive taxpayer money.

There is federal legislation pending to try to stop abortion providers from getting any public tax money. The Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act would ban the allocation of federal funds to any organization that provides abortions.

In February of 2013 the Government Accountability Office (GAO) announced that it will investigate the ongoing practices of Planned Parenthood. This is in response to a letter sent to the government agency from 72 pro-life U.S. Congress men and women demanding a review of the Planned Parenthood organization. The congressional desire to audit the books of the abortion giant comes after repeated claims and evidence of fraudulent billing practices. Many outside of government believe the audit is long overdue.

Planned Parenthood claims to be non-profit, but it is anything but non-profit: the average salary of its affiliate directors is $159,000 a year; 30 other directors are making more than $200,000; and their president earns nearly $400,000 annually.

Today, in America an abortion has become as commonplace as a walk in the park. Statistics show that 1 in 3 women --approximately 35 percent -- have had an abortion. However, over the past 20 years we have seen a change in this trend. The number of abortions has declined from a high of 1.6 million annually in the 1990s to 1.2 million in 2012. There are a number of reasons for this downward trend. A combination of anti-abortion legislation, education and efforts by pro-life groups has helped to save thousands of lives. It is time to recognize these groups for their on-going efforts. Two of them are Care Net Pregnancy Resource Center of Neosho and LifeChoices Medical Clinic and Resource Center of Joplin. These offer support, services, counseling, and encouragement to women in need.

September is the month when both of these groups hold their annual fundraising banquets. Care Net's banquet in Neosho is September 19 and LifeChoices's banquet is September 24 in Joplin. I am very proud to help support both groups in their pro-life efforts to stop the killing of the innocent unborn.

We pray that the day comes when American taxpayers will no longer be fattening the pockets of an organization that makes its living off the barbaric brutality of killing unborn children.

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